National Anthem (2023 film)

National Anthem is a 2023 drama film directed by Luke Gilford, in his debut feature-length picture, who co-wrote the screenplay with David Largman Murray and Kevin Best. The film stars Charlie Plummer, Eve Lindley, Mason Alexander Park, Rene Rosado, and Robyn Lively.

National Anthem
Directed by	Luke Gilford
Written by	David Largman Murray Kevin Best Luke Gilford
Produced by	Mickey Liddell p.g.a.^[1] Pete Shilaimon p.g.a. Kevin Garland Gina Marcheschi Jasmine Daghighian
Starring	Charlie Plummer Eve Lindley Mason Alexander Park Rene Rosado Robyn Lively
Cinematography	Kate Arizmendi
Edited by	Amber Bansak Josh Schaeffer
Music by	Nick Urata Perfume Genius
Production company	LD Entertainment
Release dates	March 10, 2023 (SXSW) September 2023 (TIFF)
Running time	99 minutes^[1]
Country	United States
Language	English

It premiered at the 2023 SXSW Festival on March 10, 2023,^[1] and has received positive reviews from critics, with praise going towards the directing, screenplay, cinematography, and performances of its cast (particularly Plummer and Lindley).

Synopsis

Dylan (Plummer), a 21-year-old who lives in rural New Mexico and works as a construction worker to help support his little brother and alcoholic mother, joins a community of queer ranchers and rodeo performers.^[1][2][3]

Cast

• Charlie Plummer as Dylan^[4]
• Eve Lindley as Sky^[4]
• Mason Alexander Park as Carrie^[4]
• Rene Rosado as Pepe^[4]
• Robyn Lively as Fiona^[4]

Production

National Anthem was directed by Luke Gilford, marking his feature film debut. The screenplay was co-written by Gilford, David Largman Murray, and Kevin Best, and was inspired by Gilford's monograph titled National Anthem: America's Queer Rodeo.^[4]

Release

National Anthem premiered at the 2023 SXSW Festival on March 10, 2023.^[1] The film will have its international premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.^[5]

Reception

Upon its premiere, National Anthem has been met with positive critical reviews. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 100% based on 11 critic reviews, with an average rating of 7.7/10.^[6] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 75 out of 100, based on 6 reviews indicating "generally favourable reviews".^[7]

Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com described the film as "both progressive and old-fashioned at the same time" and wrote "Gilford has a strong eye—he captures the wide-open spaces of this beautiful country with a blend of awe and grace—but it's his work with performers and characters that announces a major talent." He also highlighted the performances of Plummer, Lindley, and Park as the standouts.^[8] Deadline Hollywood's Damon Wise said that the film presents "a sweetness and simplicity to its philosophy of see-and-be-seen that will likely make this an easy festival crowd-pleaser."^[9] Matthew Jacobs, writing for Vulture, compared the film to The Rider, The Power of the Dog, and The Sisters Brothers, particularly in "dissecting the masculinity [which is] often deemed inherent to the Western genre's landscapes" and praised the directing, cinematography, soundtrack, and Plummer's performance.^[10] He also called the film "a stunning start to [Gilford's] film career."^[11]

Writing for Paste, Aurora Amidon gave the film a score of 8.5 out of 10, writing that "the beauty of National Anthem is that it effortlessly challenges all expectations and preconceived notions," and lauded the directing, screenplay, and performances of Plummer and Lindley.^[12] Erin Brady of /Film gave it a score of 8 out 10 and named it "a moving and well-crafted debut." She also praised the cinematography, screenplay, and performances of Plummer and Lindley, and called Gilford "a powerful voice in modern queer art."^[13] Letterboxd included the film in its "Best of SXSW 2023" list and wrote, "This is an all-around beautiful film, expanding on Gilford's collection of photographs of the same name. For that book, Gilford spent three years documenting the queer rodeo subculture. Those beautiful people also appear here alongside stars Charlie Plummer and Eve Lindley, in dreamy sequences that highlight the beauty of living as your full, authentic self."^[14]

References

1. . SXSW. Archived from the original on March 23, 2023. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
2. Galuppo, Mia (February 1, 2023). . The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 23, 2023. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
3. D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 1, 2023). . Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 23, 2023. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
4. Rooney, David (March 11, 2023). . The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 20, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
5. "Toronto International Film Festival shines spotlight on the unmissable 2023 Centrepiece programme". TIFF. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
6. "National Anthem", Rotten Tomatoes, retrieved March 25, 2023{{citation}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
7. "National Anthem", Metacritic, retrieved March 24, 2023{{citation}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
8. Tallerico, Brian (March 16, 2023). . RogerEbert.com. Archived from the original on March 20, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
9. Wise, Damon (March 11, 2023). . Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 20, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
10. Jacobs, Matthew (March 13, 2023). . Vulture. Vox Media. Archived from the original on March 23, 2023. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
11. Jacobs, Matthew (March 20, 2023). . Vulture. Vox Media. Archived from the original on March 23, 2023. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
12. Amidon, Aurora (March 13, 2023). . Paste. Archived from the original on March 20, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
13. Brady, Erin (March 14, 2023). . /Film. Archived from the original on March 20, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
14. . Letterboxd. March 28, 2023. Archived from the original on March 28, 2023. Retrieved March 28, 2023.

External links

• National Anthem at IMDb